In recent years railroad hopper cars have been developed of increased size and of greatly increased capacity. In their most usual form, these hopper cars are provided with a plurality of cooperating opposed pairs of hopper doors, arranged transversely of the longitudinal axis of the center sill of the car and extending substantially the full length of the car. The pairs of doors, when opened, open essentially the entire bottom of the car enabling very rapid discharge of the lading.
In the newer, larger and more advanced types of hopper cars under consideration herein, the increased size of the cars has resulted in hopper doors which are also larger and heavier. As a result, manually operable door actuating and locking means have been devised for such cars, as is exemplified by the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,366,757. Automatic means for opening and closing the hopper doors have also been devised. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,187,684 and 3,596,609 teach exemplary automatic hopper door opening and closing mechanisms.
The present application relates to automatic means for opening, closing and locking the hopper doors of hopper cars of the newer and more advanced type mentioned above. The hopper door actuating and locking apparatus of the present invention represents an improvement over that taught in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,187,684 and 3,596,609.
The present invention provides hopper door actuating and locking apparatus which is simpler in construction and requires fewer parts. A major portion of the apparatus, including the actuating cylinder, is located within the center sill for greater protection.
The actuating apparatus of the present invention opens and closes all of the doors simultaneously. The apparatus of the present invention employs a segmented actuating beam. Such a segmented beam is known per se. Nevertheless, the actuating apparatus of the present invention is characterized by numerous improvements and advantages over the prior art structures. A smaller diameter cylinder can be used and less piston stroke is required, thus reducing the amount of air needed. Furthermore, the lever system of the present invention is characterized by a greater mechanical advantage than hitherto achieved. The actuating aparatus is more accessble and is more easily adjusted.
The actuating and locking apparatus of the present invention is capable of operating hopper doors arranged both in opposed pairs and singly in combination with a chute. This enables the apparatus of the present invention to be used on hopper cars having a wide variety of hopper door arrangements, as will be described hereinafter.